FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — Patrons at Fat Joe's Bar and Restaurant in Fond du Lac were evacuated early Friday morning due to a fire at the rear of the building.
Fond du Lac Fire Rescue (FDLFR) released crews were dispatched to the bar at 1:15 a.m. to a report of smoke and flames being seen along the outside of a wall. Upon arrival FDLFR found smoke coming from the inside of a wall on the rear of the building.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire inside the wall and overhauled the area behind the siding before the fire could spread.
While the fire was being extinguished, the building was evacuated. Occupants were allowed back into the building once the smoke was cleared.
According to the fire investigator, the cause of the fire originated from improperly discarded smoking materials in a non-fire-proof plastic pail that burned through and into the wall.
FDLFR credited the employees of the bar for using a fire extinguisher to knock down the original fire and contacting the fire department.
A reminder from FDLFR reads, "It is imperative that smoking material be fully extinguished and placed in an appropriate fire-proof receptacle."
